


It's 1am. Come to bed.

by celestial_being_of_malicious_intent



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing a Bed, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24072742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestial_being_of_malicious_intent/pseuds/celestial_being_of_malicious_intent
Summary: “Dude, you’re drunk, it’s past midnight, and it’s freezing outside. I can’t let you go home, wherever that is, alone without being up all night wondering if you froze to death. I’ve heard good things about you so I don’t think you’ll steal or break anything, and I have a sleeping bag you can borrow.” Dick paused to yawn. “Just- just come up so I can go back to sleep.”Wally bit his lip, but then nodded. “I’ll be right up.” He turned and stumbled through the snow towards the doors. Dick sighed and rubbed at his eyes. So much for getting a good night’s sleep.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Wally West, Flash/Nightwing, Kid Flash/Robin
Comments: 13
Kudos: 196





	It's 1am. Come to bed.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys like it!

Dick groaned in frustration, rolling over and pushing the pillow down on the top of his head.

He reached out blindly for his night table and cursed when he knocked his phone on the floor. He squirmed to the edge of his bed and snatched it off the floor, pressing the power button and squinting as light stung his eyes. 1am. Figures.

Suddenly he stopped. He pushed himself up and froze, listening closely. Silence. 

Dick flopped back to the warm spot on his mattress, kicking up the blankets and punching the air. “Yes!” He hissed.

Dick curled up, snuggling into his covers and closing his eyes with a relieved sigh in the blessed silence.

“So she said, what’s the problem, baby? What’s the problem I don’t know; well maybe I’m in love, -love- think about it, every time I think about it, can’t stop thinking ‘bout it.”

Dick pressed his face into his pillow to muffle his frustrated scream. About twenty minutes ago, some drunk guy had started screeching love songs at the top of his lungs right below Dick’s dorm window. If it was Valentine’s Day or something like that, he could at least understand it. But it was during the grace period after midterm exams, and Dick had been really looking forward to catching up on sleep. Maybe the guy thought he failed out and this was a last ditch attempt to get his crush to notice him before he got shipped home? Whatever the case, this guy was making it very difficult to sleep.

When the guy first showed up, even though he woke Dick up, Dick had been willing to ignore him. Lots of people do stupid things on romantic impulses. Either the guy would get the reaction he was hoping for and leave satisfied, (or not leave at all), or he would get his heart stomped on and go home. Whatever the case, it didn’t look like whoever he was trying to impress hadn’t noticed him yet.

Dick lived in a dorm because it was cheaper and he didn’t want to take more money from Bruce then he had to. Some days it was fine, others… Not so much. Like now for example.

Artemis, one of his closest friends, lived in the dorm right next to him. As far as most college guys were concerned, she was a triple threat. Beautiful, athletic, and sarcastic as hell. She was great, but unfortunately for Dick, she had way too many admirers. When most people were around Artemis, they tended to act like common sense didn’t exist.

There was that time someone heard Artemis was going to be at the soccer game. The poor sap ran onto the field at halftime carrying a sign asking if Artemis would go out with him. Apparently, the guy didn’t realize Artemis was at the game as a player, and she was in the change room as the coach went over strategies for the second half. The guy left after one of the cheerleaders told him, and, as far as Dick knew, he’d been avoiding Artemis since. Not that she cared.

Obviously someone didn’t get the memo she had gone home over the long weekend, and was trying to impress her.

It wasn’t that the guy was a bad singer; he was actually pretty good. The problem was that it was 1am, and Dick was trying to sleep.

“How much longer will it take to cure this? Just to cure it ‘cause I can’t ignore it if it's love, -love- makes me want to turn around and face me but I don’t know nothin ‘bout love, no!”

Alright. This had gone on long enough. Although he had gotten some complaints and boos from other residents, the guy had kept singing, and it didn’t seem like he would stop anytime soon.

Dick jumped out of bed and turned on his lamp as he strode over to the window, pushing the curtains out of the way and opening it.

The singing faltered, then stopped, and Dick got his first look at the would-be Romeo. Dick recognized him. Wally West, nephew of Iris Allen, one of Central City’s most famous reporters, here with a track and field scholarship. He was nice, and although they didn’t have any classes together, Dick had heard he was incredibly smart; always near the top of the class, no matter the subject. He often hung out with Artemis, although he rarely did it at the same time as Dick did. He had thought they were only friends, but apparently Wally wanted something more, if he was trying to serenade her.

Wally stood there, ten feet below him in the snow, staring up at him with big eyes. He was wearing a puffy winter coat, a scarf that looked like it was hand knitted, and a blue winter hat with a red pompom on the top of it pulled over messy red hair. His cheeks and nose were a bright ruddy red, and he made tiny clouds with every breath. Even with his winter gear, he was shivering slightly, something Dick could relate to as the cold air bathed his bare torso.

Dick grimaced slightly. He really should have put a shirt on.

“She isn’t here,” he called.

Wally blinked, startled. “Who isn’t here?”

Dick leaned forwards, sticking his head out the window and bracing his elbows on the windowsill. “Artemis. That’s who you’re looking for, right? She went home for the break.” Dick tilted his head slightly. “I thought she would have told you.”

“Yeah… Artemis. That’s who I’m looking for.” The red on Wally’s face darkened. “Oh, I uh… I must have forgotten.”

Dick squinted at him. “Are you drunk?”

Wally looked like he wanted a hole to open beneath him. “Maybe a little.”

Dick sighed, running a hand through his hair. On one hand, his dorm was now very cold because of the open window and he really wanted to go to sleep. On the other, there was a drunk, confused college student standing below his window in the freezing cold. Dick didn’t know where his dorm was, didn’t even know whether or not he lived on campus, but he knew that if he let him walk home alone, he would be up all night wondering whether or not he made it home or not. He made a decision.

“Stay there.” He called down; catching sight of Wally’s confused face as he turned away. Dick snatched the keys to the building off his nightstand and went back to the window, pulling on a sweater as he did. Wally was still there, but he looked like it was the last place he wanted to be.

“Can you catch?” Dick asked. Wally looked confused, but nodded.

“Here.” Dick tossed the keys out of the window, praying Wally would catch them. Replacing the keys is difficult, and he didn’t want to get locked out of his dorm in winter.

Luckily, Wally caught them, staring at the keys in his hand before glancing up at Dick, frowning.

“Use the doors on your left. My dorm number is B-26.”

“…What?”

“Dude, you’re drunk, it’s past midnight, and it’s freezing outside. I can’t let you go home, wherever that is, alone without being up all night wondering if you froze to death. I’ve heard good things about you so I don’t think you’ll steal or break anything, and I have a sleeping bag you can borrow.” Dick paused to yawn. “Just- just come up so I can go back to sleep.”

Wally bit his lip, but then nodded. “I’ll be right up.” He turned and stumbled through the snow towards the doors. Dick sighed and rubbed at his eyes. So much for getting a good night’s sleep.

He closed the window and pulled the curtains closed, mourning the fact that his room was as cold as outside. The dorms always ran a bit colder in between semesters to cut costs and it probably wouldn’t warm up in here until the sun was up. He turned and did a quick scan of his room. It was messy, hard to find time to clean when you’re studying and working all day, but not too bad. He shoved some clothes to the side and cleared a space in the middle of the room before looking under his bed and digging out the sleeping bag Zatanna used when she stayed over after they studied together, when she was too tired to drive off campus. Dick grabbed a spare comforter and folded it up to make a soft mat before unrolling the sleeping bag on top of it. Then he grabbed another blanket and placed it on top of the sleeping bag before tossing a pillow down. Just as he finished that, there was a knock at the door.

Dick looked down at his sweater and sweatpants, decided he looked fine, and opened the door.  
Wally stood there uneasily, leaning back on his heels and looking as though he had changed his mind half a dozen times before knocking. “You don’t really have to do this… I mean, I’m not that drunk, I can walk back to my apartment just fine…”

Dick shook his head, stepping back and beckoning Wally into the dorm. “Then I’d be up all night wondering if you made it home. Trust me; you’re doing me a favour by staying over.”

Wally walked in hesitantly. “Alright.” He paused to take off his boots and hung his jacket, hat, and scarf on the hooks lining the wall next to the door. Without the hat to cover his head, his hair was even messier than before. As Dick noticed this, Wally seemed to become aware of it and tried to pat it down. It didn’t work. “I swear my hair has a life of its own.” He said apologetically.

Dick shrugged and led him into the middle of the dorm. “It’s way too late for me to expect you to look perfect.” He gestured at himself. “I don’t.”

Dick caught Wally’s eyes sweeping up and down his body. “Yeah.” Wally said quietly.  
Seeing Wally at eye level… He was a lot cuter than he seemed outside. His hair was still a tangled red mess, but it looked soft. His eyes were a sparkling green, and he had a heavy scattering of freckles across his face. He was wearing a yellow track sweater with a red lightning bolt on the center of it underneath his coat, but Dick would never tell anyone how cute he found it. Not that it mattered though. Wally obviously had a pretty serious crush on Artemis.

“Do you want something to drink?” Dick asked, jerking his thumb at the corner of his room.

“You have a mini fridge?” Wally asked excitedly.

“Yeah, Alfred, my… uncle, gave it to me so the mountains of food he gives me every time I visit home won’t go bad. You can just grab something out of it.”

Wally opened it and pulled out a water bottle. He unscrewed the top and took a quick drink. “He sounds like a pretty cool uncle.”

Dick grinned. “He is.”

“My uncle Barry’s pretty cool, but it isn’t like he cooks for me or anything.” Wally said, flashing a smile at Dick.

Wally set his water bottle down on the mini fridge and rubbed his hands together. “Are dorm rooms always this cold?” He asked.

Dick gave him a pointed look. “Not unless you have the window open for five minutes when it’s below freezing outside.”

Wally looked down sheepishly. “I’m sorry you had to do that.”

Dick shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ll just have to use my spare blankets. It’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow so I’ll leave my curtains open.”

There was a moment of silence between them.

“So am I sleeping here then?” Wally asked, tapping near the sleeping bag with his foot.

“Yeah, I put some extra blankets above and below the sleeping bag, so it should be pretty comfortable.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you want to borrow some sweat pants or something so you don’t have to sleep in jeans?” Dick asked.

“You don’t… I would like that, thank you.”

“Here.” Dick went over to his closet and pulled out a pair of sweatpants. “These should fit you.”

Wally took them, face flushing. “Thank you.”

Dick turned around to give him privacy. “It’s no big deal.”

Dick waited until Wally said, “Okay, I’m done,” before turning back around.

Wally wasn’t super tall, but he still had three or four inches on Dick. The sweatpants, which fit Dick perfectly, ended way too soon above Wally’s ankles. Dick looked him up and down and grinned. “I think those pants look better on you then they do on me.” He teased.

Wally’s eyes widened and he blinked in shock before he looked away. “…Thanks.”

“Is there anything you need before I turn off the light?” Dick asked as Wally pulled the upper blanket back and crawled into the sleeping bag.

Wally shook his head from his spot on the floor. “I’m good.”

Dick reached for the lamp, but Wally stopped him. “Oh, wait!” Wally wiggled out of the sleeping bag and sat up. “Do you have a phone charger?”

“Yeah, you want to plug your phone in?” Dick asked.

Wally nodded, handing his phone over. Dick plugged it in and placed it on his bedside table. “Anything else you need?” He asked.

Wally shook his head, sliding back into the sleeping bag. “Nope. I’m good. For real this time.”

Dick switched off his lamp and buried himself under the covers with a sigh. It was a lot colder than he expected, but he knew he would warm up soon under his blankets.

“Thank you for letting me sleep here.” Wally’s voice drifted up from the floor.

“No problem, man. Like I said, I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I was wondering if you got home okay or not.” He leaned forwards and peered over the edge of the bed. “We university students have to stick together.” He held his fist.

Wally laughed slightly and bumped it with his own, and Dick felt slightly warmer. He lay back down. “Goodnight Wally.”

“Goodnight Dick.”

\---------------------

A wave of cold air startled Dick awake and he jumped slightly as his covers were yanked off him. He sat up in bed and watched in dismay as his blankets slithered their way off the bed and onto the floor. He dove forwards and snatched at the end of a comforter, but he was too slow and all his blankets were gone. He sat there in shock, trying to figure out how they moved on their own, when he remembered his impromptu houseguest.

Dick quietly shuffled to the edge of his bed and looked down. Sure enough, Wally lay curled up in a ball on the floor, still asleep. He was tucked tightly into himself, facing away from Dick. His hand was still holding the edge of the blankets. He must have grabbed a handful of the blankets in his sleep, and then rolled, taking them with him. The top of his head was only just visible from under the pile of blankets.

Dick sighed and shivered, realizing just how cold it was in the room, and grabbed his phone to check the time, tilting it so the light wouldn’t reach Wally. 3am.

Dick put it back and stared at Wally, trying to figure out the best way to get his blankets back, when he noticed the blankets were shaking. Wally, despite all the blankets on top of him, was shivering. He was shaking hard enough to cause the whole pile to move.

Dick bit his lip, debated with himself what the best course of action would be, and then made up his mind.

“Wally.” He whispered, reaching down and placing a hand on the top of the blanket nest. He gave it a little shake. “Wally, wake up.”

“Wha-?” The pile twitched and curled in tighter. “’S cold.”

Dick smiled despite himself. “I know it's cold, that’s why I’m waking you up. Come on Wally, up!” He shook a little harder.

The pile of blankets sat up. “Where am I?” Wally mumbled. He squinted at Dick. “What am I doing here?”

“My name’s Dick Grayson. We’ve met a few times. You’re at my dorm. You were drunk and tried to serenade Artemis while she wasn’t even here, so I brought you up here to sleep because I thought you might die if you tried to walk home alone. It’s freezing because I opened my window to talk to you.”

“Oh.” Wally looked away. “I remember now.” He glanced back up at Dick and frowned. “Wait, why don’t you have any blankets?”

Dick smiled wryly. “You’re wearing them.”

“What?” Wally looked at himself. “I’m sorry. Here,” he said, offering them back. “I’m sorry.” He said again.

Dick shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m more worried about you. Even with all of the blankets, you were still shivering.” He looked at Wally cautiously. “How would you feel about sharing a bed?”

Even in the dark, Dick could see Wally’s face redden. “What do you mean?”

Dick lay down and propped himself on his elbows so their faces were closer together. “I mean, it's freezing cold in here. You’re cold, I’m cold, and I only have enough blankets to keep one of us sort of warm if we stay separate. My bed’s big; we don’t have to touch if we stay on opposite sides.” He raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather freeze on the floor, or swallow your pride and sleep in a warm bed?”

Wally only paused for a moment before nodding. “Bed, definitely.” He shimmed out of the sleeping bag, standing and flashing Dick a grin. “I’m already in your pants; I might as well warm your bed too.”

Dick let out a startled laugh. Based on how nervous Wally had seemed earlier, he expected to have to do more convincing. The thought that Wally was warming up to him pleased him; more than it probably should have.

A pillow hitting him in the face startled him out of his thoughts. He jerked back to find Wally beaming at him. “Pillow fight?” He asked teasingly, wiggling the pillow.

Dick scoffed. “What are you, six?” Wally smile faded and he turned away, visibly deflating. He bent down and unzipped the sleeping bag, starting to untangle the pile of blankets. Dick grabbed another pillow and took the opportunity to smack Wally’s butt with it so hard he lost his balance and fell into the center of the blanket nest.

Wally’s startled eyes met Dick’s, who was grinning wickedly. “Never turn your back on an opponent.”

Wally blinked at him for a moment before a wide smile spread across his face. “You’re an asshole.” He whispered in awe. “I thought you were serious.”

Dick lightly tapped Wally’s leg with his pillow. “I never pass up the chance to have a pillow fight. Just be aware that I’m going to hand your ass to you.”

Wally’s eyes sparkled. “We’ll see about that.” He jumped to his feet and smashed the pillow down on the top of Dick’s head. Dick went with the motion to prevent hurting his neck, and then struck Wally's legs, making him stumble and almost knocking him down again.

Wally took a couple of steps back to get out of Dick’s range and watched him warily. Dick crouched on his bed like he was getting ready to pounce. “That’s unfair.” Wally hissed. “I can’t knock you down if you’re on a bed.”

“Why would I give up an advantage? There is no honour in pillow fights. Only those that win and those that lose. We should lay down some ground rules first.” He added, seeing Wally get ready for another attack.

“That’s fair.” Wally said, twirling his pillow by one corner. “What are they?”

Dick thought quickly. “We have to be very quiet; I don’t want any complaints tomorrow. Although,” he said, making a face. “I’ll probably get some because of your singing.”

Wally stuck his tongue out at him. “My singing wasn’t that bad.”

Dick stared at him deadpan. “Your screeching could have woken the dead. As it is, you woke up at least half the students. If they form a mob and start hunting you down for disturbing their beautyrest, don’t come to me for help. In fact,” he winked at Wally. “I’ll probably join them.”

Wally rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Dick.” He said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “And here I was thinking we were starting to become friends.”

Dick’s chest got that warm feeling again even as he shrugged. “Hey, I live here. They can literally make my life a living hell. Speaking of,” he paused. “Where do you live?”

Wally made a vague gesture with his pillow. “Out in the city. I’m renting an apartment with my friends. I work at the Starbucks in the mall, so I need to be a bit closer since I don’t have a car.”

Dick’s lips twitched. “You work at Starbucks?”

Wally scowled at him. “What, you have a problem with that? I can make a mean pumpkin spice latte. Want to make something of it?”

Dick put his hands up defensively. “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just surprised. You have so much energy; I wouldn’t think you’d like being stuffed behind a counter all day.”

Wally looked at him in surprise. “Oh. Sometimes I do get a little twitchy, but I always have lots of things to keep my hands busy. Besides,” he smiled. “I like being around people.”

Dick returned the smile. “What about the friends you room with? Anyone I would know?”

Wally scoffed. “What is this, a background check? You probably should have done this before you gave me the keys to the dorm.”

Dick’s smile became sly. “This is more like an interview to get to know the guy I’m going to be sharing a bed with a bit better. If I was doing a background check on you, you wouldn’t know about it.”

Wally rolled his eyes. “Right.” Suddenly he perked up a bit. “Speaking about background checks, who told you about me?”

“What?” Dick asked.

“When you invited me up, you said you heard good things about me. Who told you about me?”

“Oh, right. Artemis mentioned you a couple of times.”

Wally straightened up and his eyes almost seemed to narrow slightly, though that could have been because of the low light. “She did? What did she say?”

Dick sighed at the sudden amount of interest in his voice. Of course he wanted to know everything Artemis said about him. “She doesn’t really talk about you that much, she just kind of mentions you sometimes. Like if she’s going to the movies with you, or if she wants to get your opinion on something. Although… She has been mentioning you a lot more lately. Like, in the past month or so.” In the darkness, Wally seemed to pale slightly.

Dick shrugged, picking up on his tension. “I don’t know, man. It’s not like I keep a list of all the times she mentions you.”

Wally swallowed. “Right.”

“So!” Dick said suddenly, trying to change the subject. “Are you going to tell me who you share an apartment with or not?”

Wally seemed to appreciate the change. He used his foot to drag the pile of blankets to the other side of the room. “If you’re going to keep questioning me, I might as well get comfortable.” He said, dropping the pillow on top and sitting down. “Hey, why do I have to answer all the questions? How do I know you’re not the one who’s a serial killer?”

Dick scoffed. “That’s something you should have thought about before you came in. If I was going to kill you, I’d have done it already and killed you instead of waking you up when I noticed you were shivering.” Wally continued to look at him expectedly. Dick threw his hands in the air. “Fine. If you tell me who you’re rooming with, I’ll answer one of your questions.”

Wally frowned. “One? Come on Dick, an answer for an answer.”

“Fine. You get two questions.”

“Alright then.” Wally rubbed his arms, feeling the chill after being still for so long. Dick noticed.

“How about we play twenty questions after I kick your ass? So that we warm up a bit?”

Wally grinned. “Sounds good to me. Not the part about you kicking my very fine ass; that part’s completely incorrect. But warming up sounds pretty nice right about now.” He stood and armed himself once again. “Any other rules before I make you eat your words?”

Dick shook his head. “Don’t break anything should cover it. My stuff… Bones… First one to call mercy loses. Loser buys breakfast.”

Wally gave him a thumbs up. “You got it, Captain.” Then he lashed out, swinging his pillow towards Dick’s face. Dick jerked back, dodging the pillow, but almost smacking the back of his head against the wall. He kicked Wally’s pillow, causing his grip to weaken, and used his chance to slam the pillow into Wally’s cheek, making him reel back. He kept up the assault, whacking Wally’s torso with hard slams of the pillow as Wally tried to use his forearms to block him.

Wally turned so that his shoulder was faced towards Dick and took a moment to reorient himself before he started searching for a way to stop Dick’s attack. He pivoted to the side, turning his back on Dick for a brief moment before completing the spin, leaving Dick facing his other side. He snatched another pillow off the head of Dick’s bed and brought them both down on the top of Dick’s head at the same time.

Dick blinked, dazed, and Wally took the chance to turn the tides, slamming the pillows onto Dick over and over again. Dick braced his head with his arms and waited for Wally to make a mistake, knowing that if he tried to retaliate now, Wally would stop him before he could even reach out an arm. There it was. Wally stepped back to get into a better stance, to put more power behind his hits, and accidentally stepped on a blanket. Not expecting the slippery fabric instead of hardwood, his foot shot out and he stumbled. Dick sprang towards the edge of the bed, holding the pillow over his shoulder like a baseball bat before swinging it as hard as he could.

Just before he made contact with Wally, however, Wally fell, never having gotten his balance back after his stumble. Dick’s pillow swung harmlessly over his head and Dick, not expecting to miss, tumbled off the bed onto Wally.

Wally fell straight backwards, hitting his head on the blanket pile, leaving him mostly unharmed. Dick however, twisted onto his side as he fell, causing him to drive his shoulder right into Wally’s diaphragm, knocking the wind out of him.

“Oooofffff.” Wally exhaled sharply as his breath rushed out of him. Dick quickly rolled off of him and grabbed his shoulder, helping him sit up.

“Shit, are you okay Wally?”

Wally waved his hand dismissively. “Just gotta-“ he paused and gasped for breath. “Get my breath back.”

After a few more moments, he was breathing normally. Dick furrowed his brow in worry and offered a hand as Wally struggled to stand. “How about we call it a tie?” He suggested.

Wally nodded, taking Dick’s hand and letting Dick pull him to his feet.

When they were both on their feet, Dick noticed they were standing very close together, still holding hands. Dick didn’t let go or take a step back. Neither did Wally.

Dick looked at Wally’s eyes, barely visible in the low light, and noticed they weren’t looking at him. They were looking at his mouth. Dick licked his suddenly dry lips and noticed Wally tracking the movement. Dick took a moment to entertain a thought. What if he kissed Wally? Right now? Dick didn’t think knocking the wind out of someone was very romantic, but the way Wally was looking at him was starting to make him think otherwise. Wally likes Artemis, he reminded himself firmly. He’s probably just getting his breath back, and his eyes just drifted down a bit. Even so...

But if Wally was only catching his breath, sleeping next to a guy who had just kissed him without permission would be awkward, to say the least. Not to mention the hell Artemis would put him through upon finding out Dick had tried to make out with someone who was in love with her, and then slept in the same bed with them after being rejected. Not to mention the fact Wally was, most likely, still at least a little bit tipsy. He seemed to be pretty sober after Dick woke him up, but there was also the chance that he still wasn’t completely in control. With a barely audible sigh, Dick let go of Wally’s hands and took a step backwards, completely missing how Wally had started to lean forwards.

“So Wally!” Dick said, turning away with a grin and grabbing a blanket from the floor. “You feeling warm enough yet?” Dick shook the blanket at him like a matador.

Wally looked disappointed for a split second before he smiled. He took the blanket from Dick and started to make the bed. “Aw, is it bedtime already?”

Dick rolled his eyes at him. “You do realize it’s like three- thirty, right? And here I thought I was going to catch up on sleep this weekend.” He balled up another blanket and threw it at Wally. Wally caught it and spread it over the bed, tucking it into the corners.

As Wally held his hand out for the next blanket, he blew a kiss at Dick. “I’m much more fun than sleep. Hey, this is your bed, why am I making it?”

Dick handed him the next blanket. “Let’s see, you woke me up, made me let in all the cold, and stole all my blankets. And I, the kind soul I am, am letting you stay the night. Therefore, you have to make the bed.”

Wally gave an exaggerated sigh as he turned and put the next blanket on the bed. “Fine.” He said, drawing out the word.

Between Dick, “assisting”, and Wally actually making the bed, it wasn’t long before they were ready to go to sleep. As Dick tossed the last pillow on the head of the bed, Wally turned to him.

“Which side do you usually sleep on?”

Dick shrugged. “I usually sleep on the outside of the bed, but you can take whichever side you prefer.”

Wally pulled up the blankets and scooted across the bed to the side closest to the wall. He squirmed around and rubbed his face into the pillows. Dick watched him in amusement. “What are you doing?” He asked as he slid under the covers with much more dignity than Wally had. He lay near Wally, he had to, the bed wasn’t that big, but made sure to leave a small gap between them, just enough so that they weren’t touching. He didn’t want to make Wally uncomfortable.

“Getting comfortable.” Came Wally’s muffed reply. He followed it with something unintelligible.

“What was that?”

Wally lifted his face from the pillows and turned his head to look at Dick. Dick’s breath caught in his throat. Wally’s face was inches away from his own, his eyes were bright and gleaming in the dark and the corner of his mouth was turned up. His arms were folded up under his head, under the pillow, and his sleeves were pushed down, showing that his freckles extended down his arms. He looked relaxed and happy, like there was nowhere he’d rather be than on Dick’s bed, staring back at Dick. Like he was supposed to be there. When Dick smiled at him, he replied with a blinding one of his own.

“I said your bed is comfortable.”

“Oh.”

They stayed staring at each other for a time, content to share breaths in the silence.

“Megan Morse and Connor Kent.”

Dick blinked. “What?”

Wally pulled his arms out from under his pillow and rolled onto his back before crossing them underneath his head, breaking eye contact. Dick took a moment to feel disappointed before Wally spoke again.

“They’re the friends that I room with.” He turned his head back towards Dick, tilting his elbow so he could see more clearly. “Megan is an anthropology major, and Connor is in political science.” He grinned. “I’m a chemistry major, not that you asked. My turn, what’s your major?”

“I’m in criminology.”

“Cool, are you going to be a judge or something?”

Dick shook his head, wondering when their voices had become whispers. “Police officer. I want to be on the streets, helping people.”

Wally huffed. “You’re making my dream job sound lame. I want to be a science teacher, one of the really cool ones that blow things up in the classrooms.”

Dick nudged him with his elbow. “Blowing things up is a very noble pursuit. I believe you have one question left?”

Wally laughed. “You’re just trying to get me to shut up, aren’t you? Alright, give me a second; I want to think of a good one.”

Wally pursed his lips as he thought, and Dick tried, and failed, to avoid thinking about how cute he looked doing it.

“How do you drink your coffee?”

Dick’s mouth twitched. “That’s what you’re using your question on? How I like my coffee?”

Wally scowled at him. “What? I work at Starbucks. Making coffee is what I do all day. Besides, I need to pay you back somehow for letting me stay here. I’ll make you the best coffee you’ve ever had!”

Dick’s smile widened. “Alright, I like black decaf, two sugars.”

“Really? That’s so boring though.”

“Hey! Don’t insult my coffee choices, you were the one that asked. Really though, you don’t have to make anything.”

“Shut up. Just let me make your damn coffee. I’ll make your bitter monstrosity, and then I’ll make you something that actually tastes good.” Dick noticed that his eyes were starting to close.

“We should probably go to sleep now.” Dick suggested.

Wally nodded. “Alright.” He flipped back onto his stomach and buried his hands under the pillow, the same position he had started in. “’Night Dick.” He said, with a slight slur in his voice.

Dick smiled fondly. “Goodnight Wally.” Not wanting to make Wally uncomfortable, he turned so that he was facing away from him, curled on his side. Even so, he was hyper-aware of the boy at his back, and it was some time before he fell asleep.

\---------------------

Dick woke up warm and comfortable. He kept his eyes closed, trying to figure out why he was so content without disturbing anything. He felt a warm puff of air against his neck and just barely stopped himself from tensing up. Wally? He opened his eyes a crack and peeked down. He was on his back, one arm almost hanging off the bed, the other curved around the top of Wally’s shoulder. Wally was snuggled into his side, head tilted up towards Dick’s. One of Wally’s arms was across Dick’s chest, while the other one was tucked into Wally’s side. We must both have rolled towards each other in our sleep, Dick thought. Even though the position had been unintentional, Dick was in no rush to move. Wally was a welcome weight on his chest; even though Dick’s sweater was pushing him just on the bad side of too warm. The air on his face was still chilly though, so the room hadn’t warmed up over the course of the night.

Wally made a tiny noise in the back of his throat, drawing Dick’s attention back to him, and Dick opened his eyes fully to see him better. Although the curtains were closed, a faint bit of sunlight drifted through, lighting up Wally’s face. Dick let his gaze wander across Wally’s face unhindered; from his long dark eyelashes to the constellations in his freckles, to his chapped lips. If Dick’s gaze lingered there for a bit, well, it wasn’t like anyone could blame him.

Dick felt more than heard Wally’s breathing pattern change. He was waking up. Dick snapped his eyes shut. Wally let out a little sigh and moved closer, moving his arm so it rested on Dick’s chest, rather than reaching across it. He seemed to almost drift off for a moment, before he tensed up and shifted back slightly. Dick forced himself to keep breathing normally so Wally wouldn’t suspect that he was awake.

To Dick’s surprise, after a moment, Wally carefully lay down again in almost the exact position he was earlier. He probably just doesn’t want to wake me up, Dick thought. Wally didn’t move again, and in a couple of minutes, his breathing became deep and steady. Dick followed him back into sleep a few minutes later.

A harsh beeping woke Wally and Dick up with a start. Wally pushed himself off Dick and jumped back to his side of the bed as if he had been shocked as Dick grabbed his phone.

“Crap. I can’t believe I forgot to turn my alarm off.” He grumbled as he switched on his phone and the beeping stopped.

“Did- Were we… Cuddling?”

Dick yawned exaggeratedly, trying to play it cool, and stretched, putting his phone back on the bedside table. “We must have both rolled towards the center as we were sleeping.” He shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

Wally nodded somewhat hesitantly. “Right. What time is it?”

“Ten-thirty exactly.”

Wally ran a hand through his hair and grimaced. “Is there a shower anywhere here?”

Dick jerked his thumb at the door. “Down the hall, to the right. Big sign. I’ll give you some soap and stuff to borrow if you want.” He said, getting up and grabbing a mesh bag and a towel that was hanging off a hook behind his closet.

Wally stood and stretched, and then Dick tossed them to him.

“There shouldn’t be very many people there right now. Everyone who was going to take a shower would have taken one already. Everyone else is probably still asleep.”

“If I’m not back in twenty minutes, I’m probably dead.” Wally said, walking to Dick’s door and opening it. Before he walked out, he paused and winked at Dick. “Say something nice at my funeral.” Then he left, closing the door behind him.

Dick shook his head, smiling softly. He grabbed some fresh clothes out of his closet, locked the door, and got changed. Wally was fun, he thought with a grin. He could see the two of them becoming great friends. They just clicked. Dick felt comfortable with him right from the start like he did with few other people. With the big crush Wally has on Artemis though, Dick will just have to make sure that he doesn’t develop a crush on him.

Wally was cute, with his messy red hair and bright green eyes. He had started joking with Dick (or was he flirting? No, he likes Artemis. Dick reminded himself firmly. It would be best not to think too much about it.), once he was a bit more comfortable in the dorm, and he liked pillow fights. He was friends with Artemis, so he must be able to hold his own in an argument, and he was smart too. His smile faded slightly. Dick blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. Shit. Well, it's a little late for making the decision to not get a crush on Wally.

“Oh well,” Dick said aloud to the empty room. “Maybe if I just ignore it, it’ll go away?” He was sceptical, but it wasn’t like Dick had any other option.

As if responding to his voice, Dick’s phone chimed quietly. He grabbed the phone off the bedside table, unplugged the charger, and held down the ‘home’ button, bringing it out of sleep mode and checking the message.

Artemis (10:38): Did it work?

Dick frowned. Did what work? He noticed a pile up of other messages and scrolled all the way to the bottom, reading them from oldest to most recent.

Megan (12:32): Go get him, tiger! :D

Conner (12:34): If you don’t text me back in half an hour, I’ll assume you’re staying the night, but if you don’t text me back by one o'clock tomorrow, I’ll assume you’re dead and I’ll call the police.

Who are Megan and Conner? Dick didn’t know anyone named- oh wait. He took a proper look at the phone. It was Wally’s. Dick bit his lip. He should really put the phone back and pretend he didn’t see anything, but why was Artemis asking Wally if it worked? What was Wally trying to do? If Artemis was texting him, wouldn’t she have told him she was going away? The phone chimed two more times in quick succession and Dick glanced at it instinctively.

Artemis (10: 40): Well?  
Artemis (10: 40): Did you serenade Dick?

Dick froze, feeling his breath stop for a moment. Wally had been trying to serenade… Him? The phone chimed again, but Dick had lost all interest in it, and put it face down on the table. He looked at the events of last night and this morning with fresh eyes. Things made much more sense in the context of Wally being interested in him, rather than Artemis.

Wally wasn’t trying to get Artemis’ attention; he was trying to get Dick’s. That’s why he had been so confused when Dick told him Artemis wasn’t there. Of course he had agreed with Dick when Dick had asked him if he had just forgotten Artemis was away. He had probably been too uncomfortable to say he was there for Dick instead.

Dick bit his lip. It certainly made this more interesting. If Wally was interested in him, that meant that Dick had a chance. Not even just “had a chance”. If Wally had walked all the way to his dorm to serenade him (Dick was still having trouble wrapping his mind around that), Wally was beyond interested; he was probably full on crushing. At least. What had Wally been planning anyway? That Dick would open his window and immediately know Wally was there for him? Dick had the distinct feeling that this plan wasn’t properly thought out before Wally had implemented it. Dick also had the feeling that Artemis had heavily encouraged it. 

Dick considered calling Artemis for a moment, then decided against it. Nothing good would come of that, or nothing that would help at least, and he needed some time to think. He glanced at the time on Wally’s phone, then shut it off and placed it back on the bedside table. Five minutes had already passed, and with this new revelation, Dick was sure he wasn’t ready to face Wally right now. He scrawled a note on a pad of paper he kept on the table explaining to Wally that he had gone to get them breakfast from the campus cafeteria and that he would be back soon. He exchanged his sweatpants and sweater for a pair of jeans that was slightly tight in all the right places and a shirt that showed off his arms, then pulled on a pair of shoes, taking one last glance through his dorm room to check that there wasn’t anything still lying around that he didn’t want Wally to poke at. Satisfied, he left, taking care to make sure that the door was unlocked and praying that he wouldn’t meet Wally in the hallway.

Wally tried serenading him. Fucking unbelievable.

Ten minutes later, Dick was fumbling with the doorknob as he tried to balance two plates full of food and two full cups. He almost yelped in surprise when Wally opened the door for him. “Merry Christmas!” Dick said cheerily, holding out his gifts for Wally to see.

Wally stepped back to let him in. “Aww, sweetheart!” He exclaimed, taking a plate and cup from Dick. “What is- Is this orange juice?”

“Yep. I didn’t know what you wanted to drink. Since you work at Starbucks and all, I thought you might get offended if I tried to bring you coffee that didn’t meet your standards.”

Wally perched on top of Dick’s bed with his food. “Is this because you tried to kill me last night? You did say that the loser would buy breakfast.” He chewed on a piece of toast. “Is this you admitting defeat?”

Dick swatted at him to get him to move over. “I got this for free from the cafeteria, although if you had won, I would have told you I bought it. And if you get crumbs on my bed, I’m going to make you wish I really had killed you last night instead of, oh I don’t know, accidentally falling on you?”

Wally stuck his tongue out at Dick, then they ate in silence for a few minutes, Dick sneaking glances at Wally out of the corner of his eye. Dick was amazed. Even when it was wet, Wally’s hair still managed to be unruly. “So what’s the plan?” Dick asked.

“Right… The plan. The plan that… We are both involved in. That we both know about. That plan. Our plan.”

Dick made a show of rolling his eyes. “I mean what are we going to do next? Am I walking you back to your apartment, do you have work this morning, are you going to make that coffee you promised me?” He leaned forward until their noses were almost brushing and was gratified to watch Wally’s eyes widen. “You know, the plan.”

Dick leaned back and Wally looked like he suddenly remembered how to breathe again. “Well I… Uh… Don’t work today, but if you really want to get that coffee we can stop in and I can whip you up something.”

Dick shrugged. “I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I know from experience that if I don’t get any caffeine in me soon I’m going to be exhausted all day.” He paused. “You know, ‘cause I didn’t get any sleep last night?”

“Yeah, I got that Dick, don’t worry about it. I’m reading you loud and clear.”

“Good, just making sure that you don’t have any water still in your ears.”

\---------------------

Wally grabbed Dick by the sleeve, dragging him over to a booth at the far end of the Starbucks. “Alright, just sit here, and I’ll make you something.” He winked. “It’ll be on the house.”

“It better be.” Dick grumbled, then yawned. He was starting to feel the effects of too many late nights spent studying for exams, and Wally’s unexpected sleepover on top of it. It felt like it had been weeks since he’d gotten a good sleep. Although… Despite the fact that he hadn’t gotten much sleep, he’d had more fun last night than he had in a very long time. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to complain though.

“Aww, is Richard sleepy?” Wally cooed.

“Richard wants coffee.”

Wally laughed. He pulled off his hat and coat and tossed them on the seat across from Dick. “I’ll be back in a flash,” he said with a wink and walked behind the counter.

Dick smiled as he watched Wally joke briefly with the girl behind the counter then begin mixing substances together like he was an alchemist or something. The walk to Wally’s Starbucks had taken much longer than Dick had been expecting (even Wally had sheepishly mentioned that he thought it was closer when they were only halfway there), but Dick had found himself feeling grateful for the longer walk. As they walked, they talked. A lot. 

Wally told Dick about how his uncle Barry was in charge of a local track team and was so fast he earned the nickname Flash and how he was the one who gave him a love of running. He told him about how he eventually earned the nickname Kid Flash when he turned out to be almost as fast as his uncle, and how the nickname somehow still followed him. He talked about his nephew Bart and how much of a handful he is, and about the time Wally ended up in the hospital after getting in a fight with a hornet’s nest. In return, Dick talked about Bruce and Alfred, about fancy balls where he had to dress up and let old ladies pinch his cheeks and couldn’t wait to get away from, and about his faint memories of being in the circus, although he shied away from the details. They talked about exams, and which teachers they disliked, and what kinds of shows they liked. Wally quizzed him on what flavors he liked, trying to get an idea of what to make for him, and shook his head in disgust when Dick mentioned that he thought caramel was too sweet.

Wally had broken into a run as the Starbucks came into view, dragging Dick along until they were racing each other to the doors, the girl behind the counter giving them a bemused smile as they burst into the warm coffeeshop. And now…

Wally expertly swirled whip cream on the top of his concoction and sprinkled a light dusting of cinnamon on the top before whipping around and dancing over to Dick triumphantly. “You ready to McLose your fucking mind?” Wally asked excitedly, eyes flashing.

Dick took the drink cautiously, careful not to slosh it and stared into the whipped cream. “So Wally…” He started, grimacing slightly and glancing up at Wally. “Is now a bad time to mention that I’m allergic to cinnamon?”

Wally’s face fell. His everything fell actually, as he dropped down onto the booth seat across from Dick. “You’re kidding me. That’s a joke right?” 

Dick shook his head. “I’m actually allergic to cinnamon. This might kill me.” Dick waited for a few moments, taking in Wally’s dismayed expression before he leaned forward and licked some cinnamon off the top of the whipped cream.

They made direct eye contact for several moments before Wally let out a deep sigh. “That was such a dick move Dick! I thought I was going to have to remake that! I thought I could have killed you!” Wally narrowed his eyes. “And don’t you dare say you’re sorry because you aren’t.”

Dick shrugged, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. “You’re right, I’m not. I honestly couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mess with you though.” He raised the cup to his mouth and tilted it so he actually got some liquid into his mouth as opposed to just whipped cream. He immediately regretted it. “Hot!” He hissed.

Wally smirked. “Well yeah, what were you expecting? I just made it. Oh, here.” He said, leaning forward and rubbing some whipped cream off Dick’s cheek. He paused for a moment, his hand cupping Dick’s face, and neither of them moved or spoke. Then Wally flushed slightly and the spell was broken. He retracted his hand sheepishly. “Sorry about that I was just… Uh…”

Dick set the cup down slowly. He didn't want to break the mood, but felt he needed to know. “Wally, were you actually trying to serenade Artemis?”

Wally stared down at the table and slowly shook his head “no”.

“Were you…” Dick swallowed, his burnt mouth forgotten in favor of his dry throat. “Were you trying to serenade me?”

Slowly, Wally nodded his head, still not looking at him. The tops of his cheeks were starting to become more red.

Dick had a sudden moment of courage. He reached across the table and put his hand on top of Wally’s hand. Wally jumped in surprise, eyes darting up to meet Dick’s. “W-Well, good.” Dick said.

Wally furrowed his brow. “Wait, what?”

“Good. I’m glad that you weren’t trying to serenade Artemis. I- I’m glad that you were trying to serenade me.”

Wally looked like he was trying to fit together two puzzle pieces that didn’t fit. “You’re… Glad? Why?”

Dick laughed softly and held Wally’s hand more firmly. “I said I’m glad that you were trying to sing to me. I mean,” he added. “It was pretty late, and I was pretty tired, so for future reference I’d suggest against singing at night for a romantic gesture, but yeah. I’m glad.”

Wally still looked like he was a few steps behind and was trying desperately to catch up. “So you are alright with me… Singing to you.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” Wally was quiet for a bit. “Why?”

Dick grinned. “Because you’re funny. And you’re cute. And you’re smart, and you like pillow fights and make good coffee and you're really nice to cuddle with.”

With each point Wally had been steadily getting redder, but with the last one he raised a hand and covered his face, lacing the fingers on his free hand with Dick’s. “Oh my god you were awake.” He mumbled.

Dick smiled wider. “Are you going to be okay?”

Wally shook his head. “Just give me a minute.” He looked up. “So you’re saying… You like me?”

Dick was beaming now. “Took you long enough.”

“Do you… Uh… Want to go on a date then?”

Dick glanced around the Starbucks. “I thought we already were.”

Wally’s hand tightened on his. “Ass.” He said smiling.

\---------------------

It wasn’t until nightfall, when Dick was walking Wally home that he brought it up again.

“I just can’t believe you let Artemis talk you into standing outside my dorm room and shouting love songs at me!”

“Shut up Grayson!”


End file.
